Surviving a 36 hour fast... yes that means no snacking!
Ok. I DID IT. 36 hours (technically 38hours) without eating any food. I only drank water & tea the whole time. This was an interesting but very rewarding experience. I would definitely do this again to challenge and push myself but it was definitely a challenge! There were points in the day where I got really hungry and wanted to eat a snack (around lunch @ 1-2pm & dinner @5-6pm) but I pushed through it and kept drinking a lot of water.
The time period I chose: I ate dinner on Sunday night as my last meal & then I drank water/tea ALL DAY Monday and then woke up Tuesday morning and made breakfast. I thought this was a good way to break it down so that once I woke up I was able to eat if I was hungry and something I could look forward to.
I would only recommend this if you have been regularly intermittent fasting. I don't think my body would have responded well if I had not been previously doing this. Also, it's VERY IMPORTANT that you drink a lot of water so that you don't get dehydrated, lightheaded, or get a migraine (which I was honestly nervous about). Here are some quick tid bits about it:
Do's:
-drink a lot of water
-stay busy so you don't think about food all day
-eat a good, hearty meal before you start the fast
-have fun & challenge yourself
Dont's:
-surround yourself with food
-don't drink alcohol (stick strictly to water & tea)
-eat unhealthy food before you start / don't eat a lot of sugar prior otherwise it will be harder for you
-get dehydrated
Benefits:
-fat loss
-decrease risk of cancer & other illnesses
-increased mental clarity
-decreased inflammation
-improved digestion
I am not usually someone who measures success by the scale, but I have set a personal goal to lose 10lbs. Doing this fast, I lost a solid 2lbs. I am not joking... If you want to see some results, try throwing in a longer fast if your body allows. It had a great impact and I feel really good. It also made me appreciate how easily accessibly food is for us too. It puts things in perspective.
I had a lot of fun pushing myself to make it 36 hours without consuming food. It was super important that I drank a lot of water so that I didn't get a migraine or get dehydrated because my body is super sensitive to that. Surprisingly, I woke up this morning and wasn't hungry. I have also learned that I have trained my body to expect to eat at certain times (those were the hardest times during the fast) and since I have not been eating until 11am or noon on most days, I didn't feel the need to eat which I was kinda shocked by! But.. breakfast did taste extra delicious this morning!
If you are interested in more research I have been reading a lot from Dr. Fung. There is a lot on the internet about intermittent fasting and all the research surrounding it. I have linked one of my favorite articles about it too. I also put some articles I used as sources at the bottom that have a lot of helpful info and other great links if you want to know more. If you have done a longer fast let me know in the comments how it went for you!
xoxo Allysa
*Disclosure: I am not a doctor or certified on this topic so this is just my personal experience and what I would recommend. If you are interested in this you can consult your doctor or do a lot of research on the internet to see if your body is able to handle a regular or longer period fast.
Sources:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/7-benefits-of-fasting https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#benefits https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
